spent friday thru monday at the san mateo marriott on a m12 rate of $79 per nite
used 1 premium pound and the marriott elite offer for a free nite
check out bill
$4.00

and i even got to talk with a few of the Miami Dolphins as they were staying there

I used a $100 bonus buck last Memorial Day weekend at a Courtyard in Page, Arizona on a government rate.

I have used Premium Pounds throughout the U.S. and no one has ever questioned their use. I frequently run across clerks who have never seen them, but they are clearly usable worldwide.

As for the "don't sell 'em, don't barter 'em" language, that's standard boilerplate on just about any frequent-travel coupon or certificate, isn't it? Obviously I wouldn't roll up at a Marriott and announce that I procured a stack of Premium Pounds off of FlyerTalk Coupon Connection or eBay :eek: , but no one has ever asked me where I've gotten my certificates.

One other advantage of a Premium Pounds is that they don't specifically call out and exclude the AAA rates. (Perhaps because the British auto-club rates aren't such a prominent chainwide feature in the UK? I don't know...) The older Bonus Bucks don't either, but the new ones do. The language on the Premium Pounds is similar to the old BB - "group" and "contract" rates are excluded, and most properties don't seem to interpret AAA as a group or contract rate. I used Premium Pounds last weekend with the AAA 15% off holiday promo at a Residence Inn.

I am checking in at the IAD Marriott Dec 1 on the FlyI $79 rate. Lets see if they work there too :> 50 pounds is like 1 night for FREE :> on this cheapie rate.

-- Just checked out. They applied an $86.61 credit to my account at checkin without incident.

It's all good...
 

We used them up and down the left coast for a vacation earlier this year. Combined them with senior, military, and stay-for-breakfast rates. Had no problems at all. In fact, the Norwalk (CA) Marriott bumps you up to concierge level if you're using them and have no children with you. (YMMV)

Fremont Marriott was the best. Used the Premium Pounds on a weekend stay-for-breakfast and paid a whopping $22 for two nights and eight breakfasts!

I made a reservation for January 2006 and was told by the reservations agent that it was only good on the rack rate. After some discussion, he went ahead and made the reservation for me, but said he couldn't guarantee that the hotel would honor it. A discount off the rack rate is USELESS.

i'll be staying at the fremont marriott next week.. what exchange rate did they give you on the premium pounds?

Why do we need to present them at checkin? I've heard that sometimes if you do that, they might get lost or misplaced before you check out.

On the other hand, when I have presented them @ checkout, they have already computed the tax on the entire room rate, and just subtract the certificate value from the bottom line. If I present the MBB or MPP @ checkin, then will I only pay tax on the (room rate - cert value)?

I depends on how they post the certificates.

If they post them correctly, as a voucher credit, then you will pay tax on the total amount and it will simply be as if you presented cash for part of your bill. This is the correct way to do it, and it is the most advantageous to you if you are concerned about earning MR points on your total bill.

If they post them incorrectly as an adjustment, as has been done for me on several occasions, then you will pay a lower total amount due to a lower taxable amount. This is advantageous from a cash perspective, but you obviously earn far fewer MR points.

(This happens to me often at Ren Seattle. At first I tried to get it corrected, but never got anywhere. Since the hotel always takes great care of me in all other aspects of my stays, I don't rock the boat on this one. But now that I'm in the midst of double-points, I may politely ask them to review the terms/conditions of the certificate at my next check-out, and maybe it'll work.)

The timing of the presentation of the certificate shouldn't affect the taxes. If a hotel is posting the certs as an adjustment, they probably can't post them at check-in, but I don't really know for sure.

I'm more concerned about cash at this point. And in a few months I'll be staying in Santo Domingo where the tax seems to be 26%. Ouch!

You could ask the front desk for a receipt after turning in a bonus buck/pound at checkin if you are concerned about them being posted properly. It will also allow you to see if they post it as cash or as an adjustment to your rate.

We used Bonus Bucks purchased on e-bay at the Wailea Renaissance. We showed them at check-in, had it noted in our record, and redeemed them at check-out.

When I check-in, I present the BB and ask that it posted immediately. I note the associate's name and, when I get settled in my room, I verify posting by checking my account balance (-$100.00) using OnCommand.

Marriott Bonus Bucks--Any Experiences?
 

My experience has been that special rates doesn't matter. As long as you have a two night stay, you should have no problem using the Bonus Buck.

Only one per stay?...
 

I was just quoted by a Renaissance hotel that I can use only one Bonus Bucks coupon per stay (my stay will be 4 nights). Can hotels bend the rules so much?

Would you suggest just giving 2 coupons at check in and hoping they will accept them?